I am reminded much this week of the fifth anniversary of hurricane Katrina. First and foremost, it is the devastating storm, and the growing despair it brought with it, that I watched unfold from afar. An immediate call to action followed. In the immediate wake of Katrina, my phone rang; it was Sekou Sundiata imploring me to help him put together a response from our stages – a response of support in both spirit and cash to help in any way we could and to bring people together. Of course we agreed to support the cause. On September 18th, a stage full of artists donated their time to put on a concert. The turnout was not great but the energy was, and so began the odyssey of uplifting New Orleans and its many displaced people – not to mention their pets, many of whom found themselves in shelters all over the country.
Five years later, here we are still struggling to put New Orleans back together while facing yet another disaster, man-made this time; the oil spill. The ripples of Katrina’s wake have not yet subsided and New Orleans and the world beyond is in crisis. The call to action is louder than ever and still we say unequivocally, “YES, WE WILL RESPOND.”
I am so proud that Harlem Stage is presenting two very special programs in September that both honor the specific event of Katrina and the broader and ever-present/ever-needed call to action through the arts. That’s what we do, and do it we will. In partnership with Angela’s Pulse, we co-present the world premiere of Blood Dazzler. Based on the poetry of Patricia Smith written following the hurricane and created by Paloma and Patricia McGregor, Blood Dazzler will eloquently tell the story of the aftermath of Katrina. On Saturday, September 25th, after that performance, we present WeDaPeoples Cabaret, created in 2006 by Sekou Sundiata to bring artist together in the spirit of arts and activism and a helluva good time. Curated by Carl Hancock Rux, another dynamic voice for change, this will be a night to remember and kick off what we hope to be an annual event.
I hope you join us in the house, on line and in spirit. Never forget and never give up!
Technical rehearsals: the exciting and exhausting final stretch.
We are honored and humbled by the gift of sharing the stories unearthed in Blood Dazzler. Heatrfelt thanks to Harlem Stage for providing a home for this work.
Thursday night is sold out, but please join us Friday for a very special post-show panel.
BLOOD DAZZLER POST-SHOW PANEL
FRIDAY, SEPT. 24
Unearthed: Race, Class and Katrina
Building Community Strategies for Change
…Moderated by Esther Armah, WBAI-FM
Panelists: John and Wendi O’Neal/Junebug Productions (New Orleans), Shantrelle Lewis/Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (New York), Milta Vega-Cardona/People’s Insitute for Survival and Beyond (New Orleans/New York), Omar Freilla/Green Worker Cooperatives (New York)
Hurricane Katrina is not an event of the past. The impact of the storm and the devastation of the aftermath are still being felt, and now compounded with the oil spill in the Gulf Coast. Using Blood Dazzler as an allegory, the panel will examine vulnerabilities common to many communities and ignite a dialogue about how we can organize, envision strategies for progress and protect ourselves from the devastation of future disasters, both natural and man-made.